Using Toys and Games to Teach Creatively (Teaching Creatively Blog Hop)

There are often times in our homeschooling that I am reading material to the older kids, and my younger girls need something quiet to do. There are also times that kids finish work and are waiting on me, and they need something to do while they wait. And there are times that I am reading to the whole group, and they would like something quiet to do with their hands- busy work.

For all of these occasions, I keep a set of shelves in my schoolroom that are filled with quiet, educational toys, puzzles, and other activities. I'm going to share with you some of my very favorite of these.

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1. Anything from Melissa and Doug- We own floor puzzles, regular puzzles, and several toy sets from this very popular toy company. Floor puzzles are especially good for doing while we read. I just have to make sure they do them somewhere where they can be left for a while.

2. Tanagram shapes- This is a box of wooden shapes that are used to make all kinds of pictures. This is one of the favorite toys that we have.

3. Base 10 blocks- I bought this (pretty expensive) kit of blocks when we switched over to Math U See several years ago. We soon decided we didn't want to continue with the program, but now I had this set of blocks. Never fear. They turned into a very expensive toy! Now they are used for building elaborate structures. We do use them as manipulatives also, so perhaps all is not lost. (I've since found out you can buy the set lots cheaper from other places!)

4. Magnet sets- We have several sets of magnets that have a fold out board and magnetic figures to play with on the scene- like this one.

5. Floam- I declare this stuff is the next best thing to sliced bread. Where Playdo is likely to crumble or dry up or get squished in the carpet, Floam is neater, cleaner, and doesn't dry out.

6. Printables-I just Google any topic of interest for printables. If someone's thinking Legos that day, I Google Lego printables, someone wants a logic puzzle, I Google it and print it. These are great for quiet activities just to keep hands busy while we are reading and discussing.

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About Author

I am a child of God, wife, a mother, and a homeschooling mama. I've homeschooled four children since birth, and am now the mother of a homeschool graduate! In my (very rare) free time, I love to read and color complicated pictures while listening to audio books. At As We Walk Along the Road you can find homeschool resources, parenting posts, free printables, reviews, and more. Come visit!

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